Two vessels involved in the Ukrainian grain export trade have suffered delays in Turkey’s Bosporus strait. The engine of the 6,900-dwt Cook Island-flag multipurpose Briza (built 2003) failed at around 2330 GMT on Friday night as it transited the waterway, according to ship agency Tribeca Shipping. The MPP anchored near Istanbul’s Kandilli area. The ship then lifted anchor at 0120 GMT on Saturday and was taken to an anchorage area in the southern Bosphorus by tugboats. Traffic in the strait was halted. Southbound voyages resumed at 0530 GMT Tribeca added.

The Briza remained at anchor on Monday morning, AIS data showed. The vessel’s destination is listed as Chornomorsk in Ukraine. The Briza is operated by Ukraine’s Donbass Transit Service. It was due to load grain under a UN-brokered deal agreed in July with Russia. The Istanbul-based Joint Coordination Centre (JCC), which oversees the agreement and includes UN, Russian, Ukrainian, and Turkish officials, said on Friday the Briza had been inspected and cleared to sail to Ukraine along with seven other ships. This was the second casualty incident involving a Ukrainian grain export vessel in two days.

The 32,000-dwt Panama-flag Lady Zehma (built 2005) grounded in the strait on Thursday, with a cargo of more than 30,000 tonnes of grain from Ukraine. The ship, which had left Chornomorsk on 28 August, was towed to anchorage in Istanbul. A rudder failure was blamed for the incident.

Turkish state broadcaster TRT Haber said traffic was reopened following a halt after the accident. Tribeca reported the towage and salvage operation started three hours after the grounding. During the grounding, the ship’s bow had been about 150 meters from shore in the busy Bebek neighborhood, according to a witness and Refinitiv Eikon data. The Lady Zehma, listed by Clarksons as owned by unknown Turkish interests, remained at anchorage in Istanbul on Monday.

Security fears have meant Ukrainian trade has been limited to older, low-value ships so far. As of Friday, about 1.77 MMT of grain and other foodstuffs had been exported from Ukraine under the deal, while 160 inbound and outbound voyages had been enabled, the JCC said.

Russia blockaded Ukrainian ports followings its 24 February invasion of Ukraine. Three terminals were unblocked under the deal signed on 22 July.